A little bit of my stuff...to brush off or to savor when no one is looking.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Shrooms

I picked a peck of shitakes at my friend Jim's last Sunday...shared some with friends and made an amazing saute with bacon, onions and a little balsamic vinegar. Served that atop an omelet with gruyere cheese.

I sliced a bunch up and air-dried them and packed them in a glass jar. One week later I saw the beginnings of a little mold!
Dang I thought those mushrooms were dry. So I picked out the worst offenders and dried them further in a very low oven and this time put them in a paper bag.

Now I ask you, am I asking for trouble? Mushrooms are fungus. We eat molded cheeses. Do I dare prepare them and eat them or do I chuck em?

According to the USDA, I (sob) chuck em. The type of mold that attacks food is not the same thing as intentional mold in a blue cheese, for example. These thinly sliced mushrooms are porous which makes them more susceptible to the toxins invading the interior and near impossible to slice away.see the chart attached